Havana
Havana was the largest city in Spanish Cuba, and third-largest city in the Americas by the early 18th century, smaller than Lima and Mexico City, but larger than Boston and New York. Ships from all over the New World carried products first to Havana, in order to be taken by the fleet to Spain. Governor Raja is the chief representative of the King of Spain in Havana. Layout The entrance to the harbor is defended by two forts, Morro Castle on the eastern side and Castillo San Salvador de la Punta on the western end. The two forts have a boom chain connecting them, enabling them to close the harbor to enemy vessels. The town square is connected to the harbor. It is a large, busy square lined with impressive stone buildings, including the Havana Governor's Mansion. History Background Havana was founded on August 25, 1515, by the Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar on the southern coast of Cuba. Eventually, the settlement was relocated to the northern coast in 1519, near the Puerto de Carenas, the Careening Bay. The quality of this natural harbor, which now hosts Havana’s harbor, was the reason for the move. As a trading port, Havana suffered frequent attacks by buccaneers, pirates and corsairs. The city was burnt in 1555 by French corsair Jacques de Sores. This convinced the Spanish Crown to fund the construction of the first fortresses, which not only defended the city from pirates, but also to exert more control over commerce in the West Indies. An extensive black market had arisen due to the trade restrictions imposed by the Casa de Contratación of Seville. Havana became a gathering point for ships from all over the New World to be shipped back to Spain. On December 20, 1592, King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the official title of City. The city would later be designated as the “Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies." In 1649, an epidemic of Yellow Fever broke out in Havana, having originated in Cartagena, Colombia. The disease affected a third of the European population of Havana. By the mid 18th century, Havana had well over seventy thousand inhabitants, making it the third largest city in the Americas. Havana was behind Lima and Mexico City, but ahead of Boston and New York. Season One Richard Guthrie has a spy in his employ in Havana, a man with expert knowledge of Spanish operations. Flint attempts to convince Richard to introduce Flint to him, so that he may find out the'' Urca de Lima's'' exact schedule. Richard refuses, saying if he were to make inquiries about the schedule of a Spanish treasure galleon, Colonial Intelligence would kill him. Mr. Scott tells Eleanor Guthrie that after Dyfed Bryson arrives in Nassau, that is likely the last of her father’s supply ships they can expect, for the others will likely hear of Richard’s arrest. Scott says he can reach out to their contacts in Port Harbour, and there is also the sloop trade in Havana and Santo Domingo, but even with those they will only cover one third of their costs per ship per week. This means that in four weeks, their warehouse will be empty. Season Three In his effort to civilize Nassau and bring it back into the fold of the British Empire, Governor Woodes Rogers borrows money from Spain. He promises them that he would seize Fort Nassau and return all the remains of the Urca de Lima’s gold stored in its vaults and promptly return it to Havana. Should he fail to do this, they would believe he is simply another pirate and untrustworthy. They would then launch a fleet of ten ships with 1,500 soldiers to burn Nassau to the ground. Rogers is given eight weeks to accomplish this task. After one of the fort walls is blown up to allow for the escape of Charles Vane, Benjamin Hornigold secures the fort for Rogers. He recovers a significant fortune in Spanish gold from the main vaults. Rogers then orders Commodore Chamberlain to take control of the fort and ready the gold to be transported to Havana. The gold is stowed in Rogers’ fleet and readied for transport. Max offers Rogers the gems that she exchanged her share of the gold for, but Mrs. Hudson, secretly a spy in the employ of Colonial Intelligence, reveals that Spain knows of the exchanges and demands the gems as well, for they take it as an insult. Rogers ponders accepting the money, but that would result in the fleet from Havana setting sail and razing all of Nassau. Eleanor suggests that they could fight them and defend the island, but Rogers tells her if anyone is fighting the Spanish, it won’t be them. Should they keep the gold, resulting in a Spanish attack on British forces, an act that threatens dragging the British Empire into a war, Rogers and Eleanor would be recalled to London. There, he would likely be put into a debtor’s prison, while Eleanor’s capital sentence would be reinstated. Rogers and Eleanor must find the remaining half of the gems, possessed by Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny, and send it to Havana, or face the consequences. Charles Vane and Edward Teach take a Spanish prize that has an intelligence officer aboard. The officer burns most of the information he has, but Vane, Teach, Ellers and Reuben sort through the remains, They discover that if Rogers does not recover the cache, a fleet will be launched from Havana to burn Nassau to the ground. After Rackham is captured, he refuses to give it away, hoping that the Spanish will burn Nassau to the ground, allowing for a Second Pirate Republic to be created. Mrs. Hudson informs her handler, Juan Antonio Grandal, that once the cache is recovered, the entirety of the Urca’s gold will be shipped to Havana. She also mentions to Grandal that Jack Rackham is now in the Governor’s custody. Grandal tells her to send Rackham with the gold as a gesture of good faith. Hudson later explains to Rogers, Eleanor and Max, that Nassau is safest if Rackham is delivered along with the gold to Havana. Jack Rackham and the Urca cache are transported in a caravan led by Woodes Rogers himself with an escort of eight dragoons. Rogers tells Jack that he is not being released, for once he and the cache are delivered to Havana, Rogers’ debt will be repaid. Rackham asks Rogers if he speaks Spanish, to which Rogers answers that he does a little. Rackham says he assumes that if he’s in Havana, he’ll be hearing a lot of the language, shouted at him by bitter old women in crowds and growled at him by angry officials. Rackham adds that he cannot imagine a worse end, listening to an unflattering eulogy in an unfamiliar town. Before Rackham can be delivered to the awaiting ship, he is rescued by Captains Flint and Vane, who also abscond with the cache. Vane is wounded by Rogers and arrested by Hornigold’s militia however. In order to retrieve the cache, Rogers launches an invasion of the Maroon Island, with his fleet under the command of Commodore Chamberlain and the ground forces led by Major Rollins and Captain Hornigold. The invasion is a failure, and Rogers’ men are routed by the Maroons, pirates and Edward Teach’s pirate fleet. Season Four Woodes Rogers travels to Havana to enlist the aid of Governor Raja in driving the pirates out of Nassau, despite the fact that England and Spain are at war. Rogers is admitted by harbor patrol and goes ashore with Mrs. Hudson, First Mate Molin and a few soldiers. They are met by Juan Antonio Grandal and an escort of Spanish soldiers. Rogers explains that he merely wants to fight the pirates in Nassau, and produces the head of Edward Teach as proof. Rogers is taken to Governor Raja, and he is able to convince him to help him in ridding Nassau of pirates. Rogers tells him to avoid Fort Nassau, where his allies are situated, and burn everything else. Raja and Grandal provide Rogers with a fleet of twelve ships, eight of them Men of War. Rogers signals the fort to stand down. Rogers asks Raja if he will pursue the Walrus, which sailing away to escape, but Raja tells him he won’t separate his fleet. The fleet lays waste to Nassau and sends hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers who kill everyone in their path. Rogers goes ashore and is discomforted by all the violence, and is further dismayed when Mr. Soames, Lieutenant Utley and Frasier, who tell him that Eleanor went to retrieve the cache. Rogers attempts to convince Grandal to order the men to not harm Eleanor, but Grandal tells him that even if the order could be given, no one would heed it, for the men have been let loose. The soldiers attack the pirates who have retreated to the Underhill Estate under the command of Long John Silver. The pirates are able to hold them off for some time, but are attacked from the rear by the Spanish cavalry. They retreat into a barn, and are almost burned out but are saved by the arrival of Julius and his army. Flint leads Madi, her guards Obi and Zaki, Eleanor and her guard of six Redcoats to Miranda Barlow’s home, which had been converted into the base of the Pirate Resistance. However, they are followed by a group of Spanish soldiers. They are able to defeat the Spanish soldiers, losing two Redcoats in the process. Three more soldiers happen upon the scene and run off. To prevent them from fetching reinforcements, Flint leads Obi and three of the Redcoats to pursue them. Zaki and a Redcoat stay behind to guard Eleanor and Madi, but are attacked by a Spanish soldier who was merely unconscious. Zaki, the Redcoat, and Eleanor are killed, while Madi is wounded and later captured. Flint finds Silver at the Underhill Estate, and they evacuate to the Walrus and the Lion and sail away to the Maroon Island. The Spanish fleet returns to Havana once they are finished in Nassau. Places of Interest *Morro Castle *Castillo San Salvador de la Punta *Havana Governor's Mansion Category:Locations Category:Spanish Empire